


simmer down and pucker up

by restless5oul



Category: Motorsport RPF
Genre: Awkwardness, Fluff and Angst, I Don't Even Know, Love Confessions, M/M, Macau GP, Plot What Plot/Porn Without Plot, Second Chapter is a lot more PG, Shameless Smut, This fic now has a vague plot
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-11-26
Updated: 2017-11-29
Packaged: 2019-02-07 03:01:25
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 7,303
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12831924
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/restless5oul/pseuds/restless5oul
Summary: it was the alcohol, it was his bad mood. or maybe it was just maxi.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> i can't write smut lol, but i try.

“I just can’t believe it.”

 

That must have been about the tenth time that night that Callum had said those exact words. He didn’t mean them any less than he had the other nine times. He should just probably have stopped repeating himself. But he was onto his fourth – or was it fifth? – drink and he was well on his way to getting delightfully drunk; which he had already decided was the only way he was going to cope with this whole mess.

 

Maybe he should have been a bit more considerate about who he was talking to. Maxi hadn’t exactly had the perfect weekend. But Callum was too wrapped up in his own frustration and disappointment to think about being tactful. He didn’t think he’d ever had such bad luck as he got that weekend. Besides, Maxi hadn’t said anything really. He’d just watched with a degree of concern as Callum knocked back whatever it was he was drinking. He had drunk plenty himself, it just didn’t seem to result in the German dealing with a bad case of word vomit.

 

Like, the universe thought he hadn’t suffered enough, it was at that moment, just as Callum was working on draining the glass that Dan decided to walk in. Looking suitably smug, that pleased expression only deepened when people began to approach him to shake his hand or clap him on the back good naturedly. Callum and Maxi stayed exactly where they were, at their table in the corner of the room, far enough away from the pounding speakers that they could hear themselves think, and just out of range of the pulsating lights so they were cast in semi-darkness. It was probably just as well that no one could really see them, or they would have seen the way Callum’s lip curled distastefully when he noticed that Dan had brought his trophy down with him.

 

“Twat.”

 

Callum placed his glass down on the table with more force than was necessary. Maxi raised an eyebrow at that, but he still didn’t say anything. Callum was too busy staring at their race winner to notice that Maxi was watching his face very closely.

 

“Who does he even think he is?” Callum was aware he was being perhaps a little unfair. But the world would forgive him if he was still a bit hurt by all the bad luck, “Parading around like he owns the place.”

 

He snorted as Mick went to congratulate the Red Bull junior, managing to smile and pat him on the arm. He wondered if it was just his sick imagination, or whether Dan’s eyes lingered on Mick’s face for a beat too long, looking him up and down quickly. Somehow the thought just irritated Callum more.

 

“Oh give me a break! He’s so-,” Callum rolled his eyes exaggeratedly, but Maxi placed a hand on top of his, and interrupted him firmly.

 

“ _Callum_ ,” his words were a warning, pronouncing Callum’s name in a way that seemed to be utterly unique to him.

 

“What?” he asked, his voice snappier than it was meant to be. Callum felt bad when he saw Maxi’s face fall a little. He looked tired, drained even, the heat of the stuffy room turning his cheeks pink, like they often were. Though he was trying to reprimand Callum, there was an odd kind of tenderness in his expression, alongside the exasperation.

 

“Hey guys!”

 

Callum had to fight every urge in his body to get up and punch Ticktum square in the face, as he stood over their table, the trophy held slightly aloft in his hands, like he was trying to taunt them. Maxi quickly moved his hand off of Callum’s, but he seemed to regret his choice when he saw Callum curl his now free hand into a tight fist.

 

He was so convinced that he was doing this on purpose, and there were so many things he had ready to hurl his way, just poised on the tip of his tongue. But he didn’t get to say anything of them. Because Maxi grabbed his now tightly balled up fist and used it to haul him to his feet.

 

“Sorry we have to go; Callum isn’t feeling so well.”

 

Callum wanted to argue to, to tell him that he was fine, to finally get to release some of that pent up anger and tension, but he restrained himself for the fear of making a scene. Now that he was on his feet, he felt considerably more unsteady than he had anticipated, and he was partly glad for Maxi’s hand which gripped his elbow tight. Though he did not appreciate being lead out of the room like someone who didn’t know how to control himself. Maxi walked him over to the lift, and still didn’t let go when he pressed the button and waited.

 

“ _Let go_ ,” Callum hissed, pouting, trying to shake his arm, but Maxi wouldn’t. He tried his hardest to look annoyed, but it was near impossible to be truly mad at his teammate, and he was swaying slightly on his feet which ruined the effect. Through the sleeve of his shirt he could feel how hot Maxi’s hand was, which was how he knew that he too was on his way to getting as drunk as Callum.

 

“Not until I know you’re not going to walk back in there and do something you’ll regret,” Maxi said not even looking sideways at Callum. The lift pinged, and the doors slide open. The two of them stepped aside to let the guests out of the lift, before Maxi pushed Callum in and pressed the button for his floor.

 

Only once the door closed did Maxi finally let go. Callum still felt like he was practically vibrating with frustration, something which was surely compounded by the amount that he’d had to drink. He contemplated stamping his foot, or maybe even punching the gold interior of the lift, but he didn’t think Maxi would approve. He looked sideways at his teammate in question, who was staring up at the small screen that told them which floor they were on, and saw the pink hue in his cheeks, and the way he ran his tongue along his bottom lip, and he decided on the next best thing.

 

He placed one hand on Maxi’s shoulder to push him towards the wall, but curled his other around the back of his neck so that he could bring their lips together. He was probably rougher than he meant to be, and he almost apologised when Maxi hit the wall behind him with a thump, their noses and teeth clashing together at the contact. But he smirked when he realised that Maxi’s first instinct was to kiss him back with just as much fervour, one of his hands grabbing at the front of his shirt, the other bracing himself against the wall. They both lacked considerable coordination, both of them too clumsy and too aggressive but Callum still wished he hadn’t when Maxi finally got his wits about him and pushed him away.

 

“What are you doing?” he asked, looking bewildered and shocked, the hand on Callum’s chest keeping him at arm’s length. But his usual blush had now spread all over his face and down his neck, and he looked like he was having trouble breathing normally. Callum definitely liked him better when he didn’t look so put together, even if he was staring at the Brit like he had two heads.

 

Callum didn’t really know what to say, he just knew that he wanted some kind of release, some way to work out everything that he had built up in his chest. And Maxi was _there_ , and had he really not noticed how hot he was before? He’d probably thought about it on a number of occasions but never had the balls to do anything.

 

“I have no idea,” he answered truthfully, shrugging. Maxi didn’t resist when he leant in again, his grip on Callum’s shirt tightening when he kissed him, slower this time, painstakingly so. Maxi didn’t react so much this time, only gasping shakily when Callum slipped his tongue inside his mouth.

 

Callum didn’t know what he would have done if the lift hadn’t announced that they had arrived on their floor, and he pulled himself away just as the doors opened. The man who entered the lift after them didn’t say anything about their dishevelled appearance, or the fact that Callum had to pull Maxi along after him, but Callum could see how reckless he had been. Still, whether it was his mood or the alcohol, Callum couldn’t bring himself to care much.

 

“Callum,” Maxi said, his was rougher than normal. Callum glanced over his shoulder and saw that Maxi was watching him intensely, his tongue running over his lips again. Callum didn’t know whether he was doing it on purpose, but the sight made him feel weak at the knees.

 

“Come on,” he muttered, reaching his hand out for Maxi to take and led him along the corridor towards his room, which was closer than Callum’s. Again, with a seeming lack of care if anyone saw them, he curled himself around Maxi’s side, pressing his lips to the side of his neck as he struggled to get his room key out of his pocket and unlock the door. He watched Maxi’s hands shake slightly as he finally got the door opened, he couldn’t quite describe how it made him feel to know that he was responsible for Maxi losing a handle on himself like that.

 

Maxi practically dragged him into the room after him, slamming the door shut. Callum could sense a little hesitation on his part, but there was a need within him to feel, to just touch Maxi, to get his hands on him in any way he could. He even surprised himself with the intensity of his own feelings, but he kissed Maxi again and anything more complicated than what he was doing disappeared from his mind.

 

Like he had in the lift initially, Maxi gave as good as he got, as they half grappled with each other, not willing to move away from the door, Callum just trying to grab at any part of Maxi he could, like he couldn’t feel enough of him, or have him close enough. He could still feel Maxi was holding back a little, so he worked one hand down his back until his reached his arse, and he pulled his hips closer so that their bodies collided. He hoped that if Maxi could feel the bulge growing in his jeans then he would understand that there wasn’t a part of him that didn’t want this.

 

Maybe the horrible weekend had something to do with it, maybe the copious amounts of alcohol did too, and maybe if Ticktum hadn’t acted like such a dick then he wouldn’t have gotten so worked up, but how right it felt made it clear that he wanted it. He hadn’t felt this burning need when Mick had innocently kissed him, giggling in the back of the team truck, tipsy on champagne, or when a drunk Lando had accosted him and they’d somehow spent the best part of six hours making out in his hotel room. They were all nice, and he’d have happily done it again, but it just wasn’t the same.

 

“What do you want?” Callum had to pull away, to catch his breath, and he whispered, his lips ghosting over Maxi’s. The sudden change in pace made the room sound too quiet, everything too still, when it wasn’t occupied by the sounds of breathless moans or the wet sounds their lips made as they touched. Maxi looked a little like he was in a daze, frozen, one of his hands still resting on Callum’s arse, the other on his shoulder.

 

He didn’t answer, but pulled back a little, so he could look at Callum’s face, like he just realised who it was that he was holding. But he didn’t go to move his hands, and if anything, the flush on his face deepened. Callum smiled a little, his chest still feeling tight with a thousand different feelings that he wanted to get out, not all of them that he was able to identify.

 

“Do you want this?” Callum asked again, stepping a little closer, and carefully pressing their hips together, pressing harder where he could feel Maxi was half hard when he saw his face tense slightly, and he bit down hard on his lip. He didn’t take his eyes off Maxi, not even when he closed his and swallowed hard like he was trying to compose himself, and Callum was making his job harder by gently grinding against him. He took the imperceptible nod of his head as encouragement.

 

“This?” he lowered his voice, leaning in to run his nose along Maxi’s jawline, his head moving from his hip to the waistband of his jeans. He let his mouth settle in the hollow of Maxi’s collarbone, waiting for a response to say that it was okay.

 

“ _Ja_ ,” the whisper was so quiet that Callum might not have been able to hear it had his ear not been so close to his mouth.

 

Like he had been wanting to do since the kiss in the lift, Callum slipped his hand beneath the Maxi’s jeans, his fingers running along his hard length until he held him in his grasp. Maxi inhaled sharply, but Callum didn’t move, just holding him as he pressed another soft kiss to his neck.

 

“ _This?”_ he asked again, his voice purposely teasing now. He didn’t have much room with Maxi’s jeans still fastened, but he tried as best he could to stroke his cock, and was rewarded by a low moan from the back of Maxi’s throat. He felt Maxi’s hand on his arse squeeze tight, and his dug his fingers into the back of Callum’s shoulder. Limited by space, he tried to coax Maxi until he was fully hard, but that too was difficult when he was still fully dressed.

 

“Callum,” his voice sent a shudder down the back of his spine, the way he sounded so pleading.

 

“I love the way you say my name,” Callum admitted, still moving his hand as best as he could, while his mouth lightly began sucking on Maxi’s sensitive skin. He didn’t just mean in that moment, as he said it in a way he had never heard before, but it was something he had thought every time Maxi had said his name, from the moment they’d met until that moment.

 

He stretched his arm so he could run his thumb across the tip of his cock, smirking when he felt that he was wet there, leaking already. Maxi groaned again, tilting his head back slightly, and it made Callum’s own stomach tighten to imagine the look on his face. Reluctantly, Callum withdrew his hand, smiling again when a whine escaped from Maxi’s lips.

 

Maxi was watching him now, and Callum made sure he was when he placed his thumb, sticky with precum, in between his teeth, using his tongue to lick it clean. It wasn’t perhaps the most pleasant thing he’d ever had in his mouth, but it was worth it to see Maxi’s expression.

 

“Fuck you,” he muttered, shaking his head a little. And by that point Callum was sure that he could take it further.

 

He pulled Maxi by the wrists, turning him around and pushing him gently on the chest so that he was lying on his back on the unmade bed. Callum had to push a few items of clothing and a phone charger off the bed to make room for himself in between Maxi’s legs. Part of him wanted to lean in and kiss Maxi again, to draw this out. But he also knew that more than anything else, listening to and feeling Maxi fall apart was going to feel a hundred times better.

 

Fumbling only a little, he undid the button on Maxi’s jeans, pulling them down, along with his underwear, until he could tug them off from his ankles. He didn’t bother waiting around, not when he could hear Maxi breathing heavily in anticipation, but settled himself between Maxi’s thighs, wrapped one hand around the base of his cock, and in one motion took his length into his mouth.

 

“Fuck!” Maxi hissed, his back arching and his hips bucking, so that Callum had to try use his free hand to keep him still, to stop himself from choking. He looked up at Maxi through his eyelashes, and saw that he had lifted his head to look at Callum, pulling at his own hair as a pained expression crossed his face.

 

“God you’re so hot,” he muttered, letting his head fall back as Callum ran his tongue up Maxi’s cock, taking his out of his mouth so he could reply.

 

“I’m glad you think so,” he smirked, before taking him into his mouth again. He let his head bob up and down, the desperate sounds spilling from Maxi’s lips making it almost impossible not to shove his own hands into his pants to satisfy himself. But he was too preoccupied with holding Maxi’s hips in place.

 

“I’m gonna-…I can’t,” Maxi muttered almost incoherently, and he reached down to grab Callum’s hair, pulling tight enough that it almost hurt.

 

He let Maxi try to dictate the pace, moving his hand now in time with his mouth, moaning himself when he heard Maxi groan his name again. He wondered distantly if this was the first time someone had done this for Maxi, whether he was the first to make him lose control like this, to hear Maxi say his name like it was a prayer or a plea. The thought only served to turn him on more.

 

He choked slightly as Maxi pushed his head down, just as he chose to thrust his hips upwards, but it was at that moment, and with a strangled groan, Maxi came. Callum choose at last minute to swallow as much as his cum as he could. Some of it ended up around the corners of his mouth, and as he finally took Maxi out of his mouth, wiping away a string of saliva, he saw his cock was covered in it too. Gently, recognising how tender he must be feeling, he used the tip of his tongue to clean up what he could, again, more for the response it drew from Maxi than anything else.

 

“You’re impossible,” Maxi sighed, as Callum crawled up his torso to join their mouths together again, hoping that Maxi could taste himself on his tongue and his lips. He could feel how Maxi had relaxed from earlier, but with his own hard length pressing uncomfortably against his jeans, he couldn’t help himself from moving one of his hands to stroke himself through the denim.

 

“Let me,” Maxi murmured, clearly noticing where Callum’s hand had gone. He rolled Callum over so he was on top, his weight leaning against his torso, half naked.

 

Moving less frantically than he had before he undid Callum’s jeans just enough, so he could reach his cock. Callum meanwhile bucked his hips with an unashamed desperation, groaning into Maxi’s mouth when he pushed his hands inside his underwear. Callum dug his nails into Maxi’s back, writhing somewhat pathetically, just desperate for the release he had been searching for since he’d been dragged into that lift.

 

“I’ve thought about this for so long,” Maxi muttered against Callum’s lips, and he might have taken more notice of those words if Maxi hadn’t chosen that moment to start pumping at his cock. It was just a hand job, there was no reason why it should have affected him so much, but there was something about the fact that it was Maxi, whose face was screwed up in concentration as he tried to satisfy Callum, that made it feel different.

 

“ _Maxi_ ,” he moaned, the words muffled as the boy above him pressed their lips together again. His hips bucked again, trying to get Maxi to apply more pressure, just so he could finish. He tilted his head back, screwing his face up and shutting his eyes, breaking the kiss as he did so.

 

“Look at me,” Maxi whispered, his voice shier than it had been just moments ago, quieter too. He slowed down the movement of his hand until he was just swiping his thumb over the head of Callum’s cock, it was almost agonising, but Callum was close enough that it hardly mattered.

 

With a surprising amount of effort, he opened his eyes to see Maxi watching him with a kind of fascinated expression that he didn’t recognise. He couldn’t think about what it meant for more than a few seconds before he felt the muscles in his thighs and stomach tighten as he came all over Maxi’s hand.

 

“Fuck,” he sighed, falling back against the bed as Maxi wiped his hand clean on the bed sheets. It wasn’t very comfortable lying in his slightly damp, dirty underwear, but he couldn’t quite bring himself to move as he watched pick up a pair of sweats from the pile of clothes on the floor and put them on.

 

“Do you want to…?” he asked, holding up another pair and looked over his shoulder towards Callum. Though he was on his way to recovering from his own orgasm, he still looked beautifully undone – and Callum would deny that his brain had just called Maxi beautiful – and there was something about him that indicated that he felt a little embarrassed.

 

“Please,” he nodded, catching them as Maxi threw them his way, and replacing his jeans with them. When he finished Maxi was still sat on the end of the bed, his back to Callum.

 

“Is it alright if I stay?” Callum asked. He was tired and he didn’t particularly fancy making the trek back to his own room. He couldn’t tell if Maxi was feeling a little awkward now the loaded tension had been dealt with and the mood had shifted.

 

“Uh yeah, sure, if you want,” Maxi sounded a little surprised, and Callum smiled gratefully.

 

“Thanks, I’m knackered,” he snuggled himself into the sheets that still smelt like sweat and sex. The alcohol and physical exertion had made him sleepy, and he could have easily fallen asleep right away, had Maxi not finally moved and slipped into the other side of the bed.

 

Callum opened his eyes and looked at his teammate, who was watching him curiously, like he was seeing him in a new light. Which wouldn’t have surprised him, considering that he’d just watched him suck Maxi off.

 

“Later,” Maxi murmured, seemingly more to himself than Callum.

 

“What?” he asked, frowning a little in confusion. But Maxi just smiled and leant in, pressing a tender kiss to Callum’s nose.

 

“It doesn’t matter.”


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> whoops. decided to add a part two. which is decidedly more PG than the first chapter.

When Callum stretched out his arm, eyes still closed, he was expecting to feel Maxi’s warm body beneath his touch, not for his hand to hit the empty mattress uselessly. Forcing his eyes open, even with his bleary vision he could see that the other half of the bed was empty. He hadn’t meant to sleep for so long, really he hadn’t even intended on sleeping there at all, but once his head had hit the pillow he was out like a light. He figured Maxi was just in the bathroom or something.

 

Rubbing at his face he turned onto his back, smirking to himself when he remembered exactly why he had just woken up in Maxi’s bed. If Maxi was just showering, then he wondered what it would take to convince him to go for round two. He sat up, pushing the thin blanket off him he frowned when he realised that he couldn’t hear the sound of running water. It sounded as though he was completely alone in fact.

 

He furrowed his brow as he rubbed his eyes again, trying to wake himself up. He was still wearing the shirt he had worn to the party the previous night, though several of the buttons were undone and it smelt less than pleasant. His jeans and underwear lay on the floor beside the bed as he wore a pair of Maxi’s sweatpants that were slightly too big for him. He held the pants up as he swung his legs off the bed and stood up. Perhaps he was more tired than he thought because it was only then that he noticed all of Maxi’s belongings were missing from the room.

 

Had Maxi mentioned something about having an early flight home? Or needed to be somewhere? Not that Callum could think of. He couldn’t describe how it made him feel to know that Maxi had just got up and left, but whatever the emotion was, it wasn’t nice. He couldn’t help but think that the previous night had something to do with it. Though nothing Maxi had said or done the previous night made him think he regretted it. Maybe Callum had pushed it too far, he had thought it was just a bit of harmless fun, but he could have just as easily been wrong. The thought that he might have made Maxi feel uncomfortable made him deflate, and his frown deepened.

 

He tried not to think about that as he gathered his belongings and made his way out of the room and surreptitiously down the corridor to his own. As he showered he rehearsed in his head the message that he would send to Maxi, nothing that made it sound like he was going spare, but also just worried enough. Because just getting up and leaving was not Maxi’s style.

 

In the end he settled on;

 

_Hey, where did you go this morning? Hope everything is ok_

 

He pressed send before he could think about it too much. Dimly he hoped that when he went downstairs for breakfast, he would see the German sat at the table with Mick and Jo, but his two teammates were alone. They waved to him as he loaded up his plate from the buffet and poured himself a large cup of coffee. He had felt alright when he woke up, but now he could sense the beginnings of a hangover creeping up on him.

 

“Morning,” he smiled as he took a seat at the table.

“You left early last night,” Jo said, taking a bite out of his slice of toast, eying Callum with rather a lot of interest. Callum just smirked at him. He might have made some joke or allusion to what had gone on if Maxi had been there, or if he hadn’t just taken off and left. But somehow it didn’t feel right.

 

“Yeah. Wasn’t really in the mood to party,” Callum shrugged, “You two have a good night?”

 

“Oh yeah,” Mick nodded, smiling to himself in a way that said there was more to those two words, but Callum didn’t pry, not even when Jo rolled his eyes theatrically.

 

“You, uh, haven’t seen Maxi have you?” Callum asked, trying to sound as casual as possible.

 

“Oh yeah!” Mick said, picking his phone up off the table, his mouth full of food, “He text me really early this morning, he said he had to change his flight and head home. Family things or something.”

 

Callum tried not to let his surprise show on his face. It wasn’t that he didn’t believe that, it was just…well he didn’t believe that excuse. He was sure he would have said something. Or maybe he was just being paranoid.

 

“I hope he’s okay,” Jo said, and Callum could only nod in response, so caught up in his own thoughts.

 

“I’ll call him later,” Mick told them, putting his phone away again.

 

 _Me too_ , Callum thought.

 

***

But that call went unanswered. And the second call. And the third. And Callum was definitely in danger of seeming desperate. But by that point Callum was sure Maxi was avoiding him. He was tempted to ask Mick if he had gotten through to their teammate when they said goodbye, but by this point he was second guessing himself so much that he didn’t want to do anything that would sound suspicious.

 

_I still haven’t heard from you. I hope you’re alright._

 

Just as he was boarding his flight to Abu Dhabi a few days later, he impulsively sent the text before he could change his mind. There was no reply when he pulled out his phone upon landing, and he tried not to feel disappointed.

 

_Is this because of what happened? Maxi please stop ignoring me._

 

By this point he was a little beyond caring. Not only was he feeling like a fool for probably ruining his friendship with Maxi, and upsetting him, and embarrassing him, and god knows what else. But Maxi was never one to hold a grudge or be truly angry at any of his friends. This wasn’t like him.

 

But he still got no reply. Not even when he got too drunk at the Formula 2/GP3 prize giving party, and Charles didn’t pull him away from his phone in time.

 

_Maxi ar u ok? i mis you._

 

He barely had time to hit send before Charles snatched the phone out of his grasp, an alarmed expression on his face.

 

“I know that look. Who are you texting?” he asked him, wagging his finger at his friend. Callum tried to snatch his phone back but clearly Charles had been a lot more sensible when it came to the alcohol, because he easily moved out of his reach while Callum’s arms just flailed uselessly.

 

“No one!” Callum whined, his voice sounding wobbly, more than he expected it to.

 

“Are you okay?” Charles stopped taunting him with his phone and was no frowning at his friend.

 

Callum attempted to laugh it off, but it was harder than he thought, maybe it was because he had too much to drunk. Or just because he had been feeling awful for the past week and no one had asked him how he was.

 

“N-no,” he shook his head, his face screwing up in that ugly way he’d cried when he was a kid. He wasn’t quite in tears, but he was close, and Charles could obviously sense that.

 

“Come on,” Charles said, wrapping an arm around Callum’s shoulders and leading him outside.

 

It was better when he was out in the fresh air, and not in the stuffy room, and the quiet helped too. But he still didn’t know exactly what he was going to say to Charles, but it helped to have his friend rubbing his back comfortingly.

 

“What’s up?” Charles asked, looking at him with concern.

 

Callum supposed that there was no point in beating around the bush.

 

“I slept with Maxi.”

 

Charles reaction was mostly what he expected. His eyebrows shot up and his mouth fell open into an almost perfect ‘o’. He tried to cover up his surprise but it was a little late. Callum distantly wondered if it was because it was Maxi he was talking about, and he was one of the last people you’d expect to hear about sleeping around, or if it was because it was the two of them.

 

But who could blame him really? Maxi was hot and he was young. The thought made him feel dirty and uncomfortable as soon as it entered his brain. He tried not to let his guilt show on his face when he elaborated.

 

“It was Macau and I was mad and drunk and he was _there._ And it seemed fine at the time, more than fine in fact. But he left before I woke up and he’s been ignoring me ever since. A-and I think he’s mad at me, and I think I screwed everything up. And it was so _stupid_ to do that. Because he’s Maxi and he’s so nice, and…I feel like I used him or something. I don’t know. And he won’t talk to me so I can’t even ask him!” Callum was completely rambling when Charles put his hand over his mouth to get him to shut up. He could feel himself getting worked up, and was kind of glad his friend stopped him from going into a total meltdown.

 

“Ok, ok. Calm down,” Charles said giving his friend a squeeze around the shoulders and taking his hand off his mouth, “First of all, drunk texting him isn’t going to help anyone. Least of all you.”

 

Callum pouted, even though he knew Charles was right.

 

“Secondly, I don’t know what he’s thinking right now. But it sounds like you need to wait for him to come to you.”

 

Callum opened his mouth to protest, but he sighed, dropping his shoulders in defeat.

 

“You’re probably right,” he mumbled, sounding as miserable as he felt.

 

“Look, Maxi’s a reasonable guy. The worst thing that it could be is that he’s a bit embarrassed. I don’t think he hates you, if that’s any comfort,” Charles smiled encouragingly.

 

At that moment the door behind them opened, the pounding music, which had been just a distant hum, increasing in volume. Charles and Callum both turned their heads to see Antonio stood there, he eyed them warily, seeming to understand that he had intruded on a private conversation.

 

“Sorry, I just wanted to tell you that Rene is looking for you Charles. Something about photos,” he grimaced apologetically.

 

“Tell him I’ll just be two seconds,” Charles called to him as he headed back inside, before he turned his attention back to Callum, “You gonna be okay?”

 

“Yeah I’ll be fine,” he nodded, trying a small smile, “No more drunk texting. I’ll just wait.”

 

Charles gave him a swift hug before he followed his teammate back into the party. Callum watched him, contemplating following, before figuring that an early night couldn’t hurt. Especially if he had to resign himself to a waiting game.

***

In the end, he didn’t have to wait half as long as he imagined he might.

 

He supposed there were worse places in the world to sit and wait for the post-season tests. Abu Dhabi was beautiful and the hotel Ferrari had put him in was definitely the poshest place he’d stayed in his whole life. But he had found out, in more way than one, that waiting wasn’t fun. But he tried to keep his head on his upcoming task of proving that he was good enough for a competitive race seat. That was pressure enough without stressing himself out over the drama in his personal life.

 

Ignoring his personal life was a thousand times harder when the current cause of his woes was sat outside his hotel room door when he came back from dinner. Maxi was sat on the hallway carpet, his phone in his hand, a suitcase beside him, and he seemed unaware that Callum was stood about six feet away, gawking at him.

 

“What are you doing here?” he blurted out before he could think of something more tactful to say. Maxi’s head snapped up and he seemed surprised to see Callum, which was a little funny considering that he was stood out his room.

 

“I’m here for the tests,” he eventually said after he struggled with himself for a few moments. Rather awkwardly he clambered to his feet as Callum approached. He rested a hand on the handle of his suitcase, like he was ready to leave at any second if he needed to.

 

“Well yeah. But why are you _here_?”

 

Maxi swallowed hard, and seemed to wrestle with himself again before he nodded to the door.

 

“Do you think we could talk?”

 

Callum wanted to shake him and tell him that talking was all he wanted to do. He wanted to apologise, and ask exactly why Maxi had been avoiding him, and that he would never come on to him again, if he didn’t want him to that is. But he figured it was also better to let Maxi take the lead in this particular conversation.

 

“Yeah sure,” he said, unlocking the door to his room and letting Maxi and his suitcase in.

 

He stood rather awkwardly in the middle of the room as Callum shut the door and straightened out the duvet on his bed so that they could sit on it. He also surreptitiously kicked away a pile of dirty laundry so that it was out of sight and under the bed. As he sat he realised that Maxi was still standing like he didn’t know what to do with himself. He also looked uncharacteristically nervous. He wasn’t the world’s most outgoing guy, but there was always an air of endearing self-assuredness about him. But that had disappeared completely, and he was staring at Callum like he didn’t have the first clue what to say.

 

Callum guessed maybe it was better if he started.

 

“Are you, uh, going to tell me why you’ve been ignoring me?”

 

Maxi closed his eyes momentarily, looking down, swallowing again, before he opened his eyes and looked back at his teammate. Or was it ex-teammate? Callum supposed that it didn’t really matter.

 

“Okay,” he started, and his voice sounded uncertain, “I think I owe you an explanation.”

 

Callum raised an eyebrow expecting Maxi to say more. But no words came out of his mouth.

 

“If it’s about what happened, then I’m really sorry. I didn’t mean to put you in that position. You were drunk and it wasn’t…” Callum began to jump into a speech he had rehearsed in his head far too many times. But Maxi interrupted him.

 

“No no!” he shook his head, finally moving from his spot in the middle of the room and sitting down next to Callum, “I didn’t ignore you because I was mad. Maybe because I was embarrassed. But mostly…mostly it was because when that night happened I, uh…I should have told you then, but I didn’t. And I guess what I’m trying to say is I _like_ you. Way more than I probably should.”

 

Callum’s mouth fell open as he took in his words, or tried to at least. He could barely understand what Maxi was saying next as he stared at him.

 

“And I guess that night kind of messed with my head a little. Because it was like everything I’d been thinking about, and I thought you were just doing it because you wanted a bit of fun, and you were upset, and it didn’t really mean anything. And it was cowardly, but I couldn’t take things just going back to normal after that. But then it was shitty of me to just leave like that, and not explain anything. So this is me, explaining.”

 

His face was shining pink by the time he finished, and Callum was sure he wasn’t breathing as he tried to gauge his reaction. He just wished he could do something other than stare at him dumbly. Though he was now realising that so many things made sense. The look on his face as he’d watched Callum, how he’d told him how long he’d been thinking about it, the pure longing that he could see in his face even now. He wondered how he had never seen it before. And he wondered how he had never realised that this was precisely the reason why it had felt so right with Maxi. More than it ever had before.

 

“You like me,” it wasn’t a question when he said those words. But just like he was making sure it was true.

 

“I guess I do,” he shrugged, looking like he was preparing himself for rejection. And maybe Callum might have expected that to be his reaction, had he not felt the way his heart clenched upon hearing Maxi’s confession, and had he not remember how it felt to have his lips and his hands on him. The fact that he wanted that feeling again, that he wanted to hear Maxi say all those things again, that told him all he needed to know about his own feelings.

 

It was like feeling a piece inside his brain click into place. And it felt so obvious that he didn’t understand how he had failed to notice it before.

He watched as Maxi clasped his hands together, twisting them nervously, his eyes fixed on his intertwining fingers. Knowing that it was a potentially risky move, Callum reached out so that his fingertips brushed against Maxi’s cheek, feeling the hot skin beneath his own. Maxi’s attention was back on him in a flash, looking both confused and hopeful at the same time. Callum let his hand trace the curve of his cheekbone, across his jaw, and down his neck, feeling the rapid beat of his pulse beneath his touch. Maxi shivered a little, but he didn’t break eye contact.

 

“What if I said that I might feel the same way?” he whispered, listening as Maxi drew a sharp intake of breath.

 

“I’d say that was a little too good to be true,” Maxi smiled softly, reaching out his own hand so he could brush away the piece of Callum’s hair that always curled over his forehead, letting his fingers brush all the way through his hair until they settled on the back of his neck.

 

“You should have a little more faith in me,” Callum laughed lightly, feeling Maxi lean in, but giving him all the time he wanted, letting this be his moment.

 

“I do,” Maxi whispered, and he was so close now that Callum could feel his hot breath on his own face, his lips just millimetres from his own, “Things like this just don’t happen to people like me.”

 

Callum almost frowned at his comment, but he had no time when Maxi closed the last bit of distance between them and kissed him. It was gentle, and warm, and far too overwhelming and every part of it just felt like Maxi, like he had put himself into the single action.

 

He let Maxi control it all, let him pull Callum closer, and run his teeth along his bottom lip, tugging at it gently in a way that could have driven Callum crazy if he’d let it. He let Maxi wrap one arm around his waist, holding him tight, so that their legs were pushed up against each other and they couldn’t have sat any closer if they’d tried.

 

“Callum,” he murmured against his lips. And there it was again. The sound of his name on Maxi’s lips, unlike any other way he’d heard it before, and so utterly perfect in its own right.

 

“Say that again,” he asked, pressing a quick kiss to Maxi’s lips, closing his eyes again, letting his arms move around Maxi’s shoulders, like he was almost hugging him.

 

“Callum,” he repeated, his name like a sigh this time, before he kissed him again. He peppered his lips with a flurry of kisses, each punctuated by Callum’s name, until it didn’t sound like a real word anymore. But he still didn’t think he would get sick of hearing it.

 

“You know,” Callum reluctantly pulled back, running his hand down Maxi’s back. When he opened his eyes he looked a little like he was in a daze, but he also looked happier and more at ease then Callum had seen him all season, “I think we might need to go for round two. You know, of Macau.”

 

Maxi grinned, a devilish glint in his eyes. Before he leaned in to kiss Callum again, harder this time.

 

“That sounds like something I can get on board with.”


End file.
